going rate for having wood milled

[TraditionalTool]

Would you happen to know what they charge for a blade? I'm sure a well run commercial mill considers that the guy replacing the blade expects to be paid for those minutes he spends replacing blades.

When buying a box of blades, mine cost $20 each plus any tax, shipping, etc that may apply.

I got Cooks Super Sharps recently on sale for $16.xx each to my door. They would normally be about $25 each with shipping, so that was quite a savings. I have 20 blades, that should keep me going for a while, and I'll get them resharpened after, a local guy will sharpen, set, and roll them for $8 each.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Seems the going rate in my area is around $75/hr. It's cheaper for me to go to a mill and buy lumber IMO.

 

[smokinj]

Seems the going rate in my area is around $75/hr. It's cheaper for me to go to a mill and buy lumber IMO.

If your milling for your own use you can rack up some big time savings. Around my area black walnut is not that good for firewood, but for lumbar is sweet and worth rough sawn at 3.00-3.50 a board foot thats where I see the money sell off the walnut and use the ash hickory poplar maple for myself and it will payoff in a year or two.

 

[BigE]

I just paid $0.70 per board foot for kiln dried S4S red oak. Very, very hard to beat those prices, any way you look at it. These were "shorts", four foot long or shorter, but still fit the bill for 95% of my woodworking projects.

Of course, it's not often that you run across a deal like that, but even milling my own, I can't touch that price.

 

[smokinj]

I just paid $0.70 per board foot for kiln dried S4S red oak. Very, very hard to beat those prices, any way you look at it. These were "shorts", four foot long or shorter, but still fit the bill for 95% of my woodworking projects.

Of course, it's not often that you run across a deal like that, but even milling my own, I can't touch that price.

Yep for oak I would have jump myself...

 

[Mike Van]

I wouldn't bank on the mfg's. claims for figuring how much lumber you can put on the ground. There are way too many variables, plus the learning curve.
I'm sure the mfg's. have done what they claim the machine is capable of, but I suspect they use good clean straight logs, all of the optimal size for the mill. In the real world you won't run into trees like that, they range from whatever size at the butt, to 8" or 10" at the top.

Andy

You got that right Andy - Did you ever see one of those 'sawmill shootouts'? Where 3 guys that work for the company work at top speed and beyond cutting up perfect logs? Thats where those figures come from.

 

[redprospector]

You got that right Andy - Did you ever see one of those 'sawmill shootouts'? Where 3 guys that work for the company work at top speed and beyond cutting up perfect logs? Thats where those figures come from.

Never saw one of the "shootout's", read about them though.
When I first started milling, I was running a Woodmizer LT30. I called them and asked why I couldn't consistent reach their claims. They told me that if I cut 20" diameter logs 16' long making 2x's that the mill was well capable of maintaining those numbers. Just not a real world scenario in my opinion.

Andy

 

[Mad Professor]

haha!!!!!
food for thought: I paid 10 bucks for a 1x6x6 pine at lowes the other day. had to build a freekin birdhouse for the old lady

I've got 2000 bdft of 5/4 cherry heart wood. The cut off from spit ends would make a 100 bird houses and last a lot better than pine, hummmmmm.......

What's goods price for a bird house???

 

[Mike Van]

At Tractor Supply Store the other day, I saw a made in China Bluebird house from some kind of China wood for 19.95

 

[woodguy105]

At Tractor Supply Store the other day, I saw a made in China Bluebird house from some kind of China wood for 19.95

But for $19.95 you get your very own Asian Long Horn Beetle to go with the bird house! :monkey:

 

[TraditionalTool]

But for $19.95 you get your very own Asian Long Horn Beetle to go with the bird house! :monkey:

LOL

That was kind of a scary article in Sawmill and Woodlot about that Asian Long Horn Beetle...lots of strange things happening with trees, Sudden Death Oak is also pretty scary, IMO, and could ultimately present more damage than the chesnut blight back in 1908.

I wonder if borates kill this long horn beetle, do you know?

 

[Mike Van]

Alan, I don't know. All I see here is they take the trees down when they spot the longhorns. Once they [the beatles] get in them, I guess they're impossible to kill.

 

[TraditionalTool]

Alan, I don't know. All I see here is they take the trees down when they spot the longhorns. Once they [the beatles] get in them, I guess they're impossible to kill.

That sucks...I've seen a couple areas out west were Sudden Oak Death has set in, and they will quarantine the area.

I need to read that article about the Asian long home beetle, they look ugly...I don't think we have them out west yet, I'm not totally sure.